Dragon Ball Heroes
by Spirit Reader
Summary: Legends say that when one gathers the 7 mystical orbs known as the Dragon Balls, the powerful dragon Shenron appears to grant a single wish. Today, a group of young warriors attempt to be the first ones to find the Dragon Balls before a terrifying evil does and brings forth armageddon on Earth! It won't be easy, but a hero never is. (AU Story)


**Dragon Ball Heroes**

 **Fanfiction by:** _Spirit Reader_

 **Dragon Ball original creator:** _Akira Toriyama_

 **Chapter 1:** _The Legend Begins_

* * *

The planet Earth is a world filled with all types of incredible things that seem too impossible to comprehend. In some areas, there reside people who have the ability to manipulate the energy that resides within their body in order to perform amazing feats. There are also some who are able to foresee events that have yet to take place, as well as create items from thin air. However, many believe that the most amazing thing that the Earth has ever produce is the mystical spheres known simply as, the Dragon Balls.

No one knows where they came from or how they were created, but legend states that the magical balls hold untapped power. Unfortunately, in the years since the Dragon Balls were first discovered by humans, finding them have become more and more difficult. No one knows why that is, but as the years rolled on by and not one person was able to find the Dragon Balls, the legend of their powers quickly faded from memory. However, things wouldn't stay that way for long.

This is the story about a group of young, yet powerful individuals whose destiny is to collect the illusive Dragon Balls and protect them from the forces of evil. The path that these young ones won't be easy and the battles that they engage in will only become more intense as time passes by. However, if these warriors truly intend to protect the Dragon Balls, they will have to become more than what they already are. They will have to become…Heroes.

This incredible adventure begins on a bright sunny day, deep within the countryside of northern Japan. As the small townsfolk go about their day, making sure that they have everything that they need, a young man of 15-years of age with spiky black hair and pitch black eyes is busy sitting on top of a large tree branch while staring at a huge lake. This young man's name is Sasuke Takahashi and with the old fishing rod that he has in his hand, he's currently trying his best to catch something to eat for breakfast. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, Sasuke wasn't able to catch anything as known of the fish were biting.

"Aw man…" He said quietly to himself. "What should I do? If things keep up, I'm going to starve to death."

As the young man contemplated on what he should do, a burst of inspiration suddenly struck inside of Sasuke. Because of that, a huge smile appeared on his face as he quickly jumped down from the tree and quickly began making his way towards a rock that was positioned in the middle of the lake. Once he was there, Sasuke looked around the area in order to make sure no one was looking at him before finally pulling down his pants. When he did, a huge monkey-like tail appeared just above his butt and began falling into the water. Sasuke then began using his tail as a fishing rod, hoping that the fish who see it would mistake it for a giant worm.

"C'mon you fish," He said as he dipped more of his tail into the lake. "I know you think it's a giant worm. C'mon and take a bite if you want."

Eventually, as Sasuke continued to use more of his tail as bait, a giant fish took notice of it and mistakenly believed it to be a worm. Upon seeing it, the fish immediately swam right for the worm, not realizing what it was it getting itself into. Soon enough, Sasuke noticed that the fish was coming and immediately moved back his tail just before the fish jumped out of the water. Once it was out, the young man reacted quickly and with one fierce and powerful kick to its body, Sasuke was able to take down the giant fish. He then proceeded to dive into the water so that he could grab it and take it home.

After grabbing the fish, Sasuke began making his way back home with it in tow. As he did so, the young man looked back at his tail and smiled. Although the world that he was living in had all sorts of individuals living in it, from humans to animal people, Sasuke was the only one with the body of a human yet with the tail of an animal. The young man had no idea why that was the case and for the most part, he didn't really care. Despite who he might be, Sasuke knew in his heart that it didn't matter. All that did matter is that he liked himself for what he was and wouldn't want to be anyone or anything else.

Soon enough, after walking for about 10 minutes, Sasuke saw a house standing around in the distance. This house belonged to him and his parents and they all have been living there for roughly 10 years. In the past, they originally lived in another that was placed on the other side of the country. However, a certain incident that took place over there forced them all to move to where they are now. Because he was so young at the time, Sasuke didn't know why he and his family were forced to move, but he decided to pay it know mind as he liked where he lived now.

As he continued to walk however, Sasuke started sensing something coming towards him and immediately stopped. He then put down his fish and took up a fighting stance similar to that of a martial arts master. Sasuke then braced himself as he felt that the thing that was approaching him was growing ever closer to him. Eventually, the young man quickly turned his head towards the left of him and watched as another individual began rushing towards him with great speed.

The person that was getting ready to attack Sasuke was a middle-aged man with spiky brown hair with light brown eyes. He had a fairly muscular build, indicating that he was in good shape and was well trained. Soon enough, the man quickly got on top of Sasuke and was about to attack him with one swift chop to the head. However, just before the attack could land, Sasuke quickly jumped out of the way. He then began rushing towards the man himself, prepared to conduct his counterattack.

After starting off with a powerful punch, that the attacker successfully caught with the palm of his hand, Sasuke quickly unleashed a rapid barrage of punches and kicks towards his opponent. In the eyes of a normal individual, Sasuke's movements seemed almost impossible to see, let alone keep track of. However, not only the attacker was able to see him, but was also able to respond with several swift punches and kicks of his own. Despite that though, Sasuke was able to deflect all of his foe's attacks without sustaining any significant damage.

As the battle between the two of them went on, it was quickly becoming clear that Sasuke had the advantage. Though both he and his opponent were able to deflect each other's attack, Sasuke was in much better shape and thus he wasn't breathing as hard as his foe. Eventually, when he saw his attack fall to one knee, Sasuke realized that now was his chance to obtain victory. To that end, he rushed towards his target at great speed, intending to finish him off with one powerful blow. Unfortunately, Sasuke's opponent foresaw this action and quickly responded to it.

Taking his right hand, the mysterious enemy quickly gathered an invisible energy in the palm of it. He then proceeded to fire this energy towards Sasuke, who came just inches away from punching his opponent in the face. When the energy came into contact with him, Sasuke was suddenly sent flying backwards and ended up crashing into a tree, knocking him out for a few seconds. By the time he came too, Sasuke watched as his foe was standing over him, getting ready to strike.

At first, Sasuke braced himself for the worst and quickly put his guard up. However, when he saw his opponent beginning to smile at him, the young man slowly lowered his guard. He then slowly got back on his feet as he began to shake the dirt from off his clothes. As he did, the person he was fighting against continued to look at him with a proud expression on his face.

"Good work Sasuke," He said. "However…you need to be prepared for anything that you're opponent might throw at you."

"…I know," Sasuke replied as he began moving his neck around. "But that's difficult when I can't harness my Ki like you can…dad."

Letting out a small sigh, Sasuke's adopted father, Issei Takahashi, began walking towards his son and soon placed his hand upon his shoulder. Ever since he and his beloved wife, Haruka, decided to take their son in, Issei knew that Sasuke had the potential to be a great martial artist. However, despite how talented he was for someone his age, Sasuke still had a lot to learn about patience and technique and Issei was determined to teach those things to him.

"Listen to me, son," Issei said as the two of them started walking towards their home. "I know I told you this before, but in battle it's not the strongest opponent who wins…but the strongest will. Do you know what that means?"

"Um…it means that you can win as long as you don't give up, right?" Takashi answered.

"Not exactly, Sasuke." Issei gently shook his sons head before continuing on with his explanation. "What that means is that victory doesn't come to the strongest fighter, but the smartest one. Even if have all the strength in the world, someone who's weaker can still defeat you if he can properly exploit your flaws. You must learn to take in the entire situation and be ready for any type of development, regardless of how close to victory you may seem."

Sasuke gently nodded his head and he started to understand what his father was telling him. Even if Issei could do things that he wasn't quite skilled in, Sasuke could have possibly defeated him if he simply realized what he was doing beforehand. However, that wasn't the case and as a result, he lost his friendly sparring match against his father. Despite that though, this defeated only ended up motivating the young man, wanting him to train harder so that he won't make the same mistake twice.

"Okay dad," He said with a small smile on his face. "I understand what you're saying."

"Good boy," Issei said with a smile of his own. "Now…let's go inside and get something to eat. That little match of ours gave me such an appetite."

Shaking his head in agreement, Sasuke quickly rushed towards his giant fish and quickly hoisted it over his shoulders again. He then started dragging it along as both he and his father began making their way towards their house. Just as they got their though, Sasuke stopped and started thinking about how his father defeated him again. He then started looking at the palm of his hand again before turning his attention towards a pile of large boulders.

"Hey dad," He called. "Before we eat, there's something that I want to show you."

After watching Issei stop and look at him, Sasuke quickly turned towards the boulders and began extending his right arm towards them. He then began to take his hand and positioned it so that it took the shape of a make-shift gun. Once he did that, Sasuke started concentrating as hard as he could as his father looked on with an intriguing look on his face.

Eventually, Issei noticed that a blue energy was beginning to wrap around the tip of his son's right index finger. Being an expert martial artist, Issei knew right away that this energy was none other than Ki, the natural energy that all living things possess. When it's properly harnessed, Ki can be used to either strengthen one's physical attributes or fire long range attacks, like the one Issei used to knock Sasuke back earlier. From the look of things, Sasuke was attempting to perform a long range attack himself, but unlike his father, his attack could clearly be seen due to the energy surrounding his finger.

Unfortunately, just when it seemed like Sasuke had gathered enough power to finally unleash his attack, the energy that he was gathering was quickly beginning to slip away from him. Although he tried his best to keep that from happening, Sasuke was simply unable to do so. As a result, the young man only ended up tiring himself out and soon started breathing rather heavily as the energy that was covering his finger disappeared altogether.

"Damn…damn it…" He said as he tried catching his breath. "I was so close…"

"Don't despair, my son," Issei spoke, gently placing his hand upon Sasuke's shoulder. "Controlling your Ki is not an easy feat. Even with someone with your natural talent, it takes many years of training. Even so…I'm confident that you'll one day be able to wield your Ki with the strength and elegance of a master."

Sasuke looked back at his father for a moment before staring back at his right hand. Although he wasn't able to launch his attack, the young warrior could still feel the warmth of his Ki around his right index finger. While this didn't seem like much, this warmth was proof that he was beginning to gain a better mastery over his Ki, just like his father said. Just feeling that sensation brought a smile onto his face as knew that he was becoming stronger.

Soon, both father and son made their way inside with Sasuke placing the fish that he caught into the kitchen so that it can be prepared for later. As the duo started drinking some ice-cold water, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and beautiful green eyes entered the room. This was Haruka Takahashi and she was Sasuke's adoptive mother. As she looked at the two of them, Haruka silently giggled as saw how dirty they were from their usually day of training. She then calmed herself and turned her focus onto her son.

"Sasuke," She called, grabbing his attention. "Hurry up and get dressed sweetie. It's time to go to school."

"Do I have too mom?" Sasuke asked, his face turning from one of joy to one of disappointment. "I mean…I don't really see the point in me going to school."

"Now don't say that, Sasuke. I know you want to stay home and hone your martial arts skills, but it's important to hone your mind as well as your body. Besides…I don't want you to be like your father, growing up without a proper education."

As an embarrassed Issei started blushing from his wife's comment, Sasuke let out a small sigh before slowly nodding his head at his mother. He then began making his way to his room, lamenting over the fact that he has to put his training on hold just so he could go to school. What he really wanted to do was stay home, but he simply couldn't bring himself to disobey his mother. As a result, he complied too her wishes.

While Sasuke was busy changing into more suitable clothes, Issei and Haruka looked at one another for a second before letting out a smile. Both of them knew how their son was feeling and understood his desire to train and get stronger. In a lot of ways, Sasuke reminded the couple a lot about themselves when they were younger. As a result, they couldn't bring themselves to be upset with the boy about his dismal attitude about going to school.

After about 10 minutes, Sasuke came back, now wearing clothes that seemed common for a 15-year-old boy to wear. However, despite how good he looked in his parents eyes, Sasuke found the outfit very uncomfortable. He always found wearing his training dogi to be more relaxing. To make matters worse, Sasuke was force to wrap his tail around his waist and hide it under his pants, causing him even more discomfort.

Once he went on to have a quick breakfast, which consisted of 5 bowls of cereal, Sasuke grabbed his backpack and began making his way out the door. Before he got too far however, the young man turned around and noticed that his parents were busy looking at him, both of whom had smiles on their faces.

"Have a good day at school, sweetie," Haruka said to him. "We have a surprise for you when you get back."

"Surprise…?" Sasuke questioned. "What surprise?"

"You'll see soon enough," Issei answered. "Now get going…and make sure that you don't get into any trouble."

Sasuke wondered what his parents were talking about and what this surprise that they had for them were. He wanted to talk about it some more, but he decided drop the subject and focus on it later. To that end, the young man rushed out of the forest village that he was living, disappearing into the distance in what seemed like to be an instant.

Once he was gone, Issei and Haruka made their way back inside, the later walking towards one of the kitchen drawers. Upon reaching it, Issei opened the drawer and proceeded to pull out a small object. When Haruka walked over towards him and looked at the object too, the beautiful young woman placed clung to her husband's right arm and held onto him very closely.

"Do you think he'll like it?" She asked him.

"I'm pretty sure he will," Issei answered with a smile. "Especially after we tell him the story surrounding it."

With that said, Issei slowly put the object that he was holding back into the kitchen drawer. He then held Haruka in his arms and shared a passionate kiss with his wife. Afterwards, the two of them went on about their daily lives, not aware that the object that they had in their possession started glowing brightly for a moment.

* * *

In this day and age, many good people work tirelessly every day in order to achieve one of the many noble goals of mankind; world peace. Politicians, World Leaders, and even the King of the Earth strive to achieve this incredible goal. All of them have come up with many good ideas and concepts and have slowly made the Earth a much better place to live. However, while the goal they wanted to achieve was indeed a good one, obtaining world peace is a lot easier said than done.

While they are many good and honest people in the world, there were just as many bad and in just people living in it as well. These people thrive on the pain and misfortune of others, not caring what happens to them as long as they can achieve their goals. They're willing to hurt, torture, or even kill if it means getting what they want. In a lot of ways, they individuals represent the worst aspects of humanity, its dark side.

On the other side of the world, in a far away village deep in the mountains, a large group of people were currently ransacking the place. Though the villagers tried their best to fight off these vicious attackers, their skills were something they just couldn't overcome. As a result, the village was completely devastated and was covered in the blood of the townspeople in only a matter of hours.

As more of the attackers continued going after surviving townspeople, their leader was making his way through the village. His name is Zuko and despite the fact that he was only 25-years-old, he was a highly capable fighter and military leader. Not only that, but he was also very skillful in using his Ki, being able to destroy several buildings with just a single energy blast from his hand. It's due to this incredible might that Zuko is the leader of his powerful army, something he's not afraid to brag about.

"Yes, good job my warriors!" Zuko exclaimed as he walk through the corpses of their victims. "Leave none alive! Make them dread the day that they opposed us!"

"Yes, my lord!" All of Zuko's warriors said in unison.

With just a few sentences, all of Zuko's men increased the aggression of their attacks, making sure that all of the people here were instilled with the purest sense of fear before finally ending their miserable lives. As he looked on, Zuko smiled, pleased at the carnage that his men were displaying. He had always taught them to show no mercy in battle and was proud to see that they were taking his lessons to heart. The young leader then continued on his way, confident that his warrior can handle the rest.

Eventually, as he continued making his way through the building, Zuko arrived at a giant building that was fortified from head to toe. By just looking at it, he could tell that the villagers were hiding something inside this building, something that they didn't want anyone else to have. While the sight of this mighty fortress may unnerve some people, Zuko simply started laughing. He then went on to raise his right hand towards its entrance and unleashed an invisible blast of Ki, creating a massive hole inside the fortress.

Once he made his entrance inside of the building, Zuko slowly made his way inside. He then started walking around the complex, keeping his eye out for something. Soon enough, the young man noticed a large box standing in the distance. Upon seeing it, Zuko notice that it had several special sealing charms on it. It was at that moment that an even larger smiled appeared on his face, ecstatic over what he just found.

"Finally…" He said to himself. "It's finally mine."

In what seemed like an instant, Zuko dashed over towards the box and immediately removed the charms that were wrapped around it. After that, the villain then started staring intently at the artifact, amazed that after all this time, the item he's been searching for was now finally in his grasp. It was almost too much for him to take, but Zuko quickly regained his composure and knew right away what he had to do now.

"It's time…" He said as he placed one of his hands on the lid of the box. "With this power…the world will kneel before me!"

With that said, Zuko opened the box, resulting in a thick black smoke to suddenly emerge from it and cover the entire room. As that happened, the smile that was on Zuko's face slowly grew bigger as he excited over the fact that the power that he's always wanted will now be his. Unfortunately, after just a few seconds, the smile that was on the evil leader's face quickly changed from one of happiness to one of utter horror.

Although he couldn't see it at first, Zuko discovered that when he opened the box, something else had emerged from it along with the smoke. Not only that, but upon sensing the Ki that was coming off of this thing, he instantly realized that its power far surpassed his own. It was something that he's never sensed before in his entire life. Not only that, but the anger and hatred that he was feeling from it too was something similar to that of a demon. There were few things in the world that instilled Zuko with fear and as the mysterious being walked over towards him, it became obvious that this was one of them.

" _Are you the one…who released me…?"_

Meanwhile, deep in the heart of a big city, Sasuke was busy staring out the window inside of the history class at the school his attends, Orange Star High. As he stared out into the distance, not paying attention to what was going on around him, the young man thought about what happened today during his training. Although his father told him that he would master his Ki eventually, Sasuke still wondered why he wasn't able to perform his move. It was like he was missing something important and Sasuke needed to find out what that thing is so that he can continue to improve as a fighter.

As he continued to stare out the window and think about things, Sasuke's history teacher, Mr. Izumi, was busy staring at him with a serious look on his face. This was the fourth time this week that he's caught the young student daydreaming while in class and he was personally getting sick of it. As a result, Izumi grabbed about 5 textbooks and began making his way over to Sasuke's desk. Once he reached it, Izumi dropped the books on the desk, creating a loud thud that snapped Sasuke out of his own head and back to reality.

"Mt. Takahashi…" Izumi called, clearly upset with his slacker attitude. "Do you mind telling the class the answer to the question I placed on the board?"

Sasuke's eyes widen after hearing his teacher tell him to answer the question that was on the board. Unfortunately, as he stared at the problem, the young man had absolutely no idea how to answer it. Although he wasn't a stupid individual and was fairly good at reading and writing, Sasuke simply couldn't bring himself to focus when it came to things like school work. Because of that he simply presented his teacher with any answer.

"Is…is it Demark…?" He asked.

"No, Mr. Takahashi…the answer is not Demark," Izumi told him as he took a ruler and repeatedly hit him on top of his head. "Honestly…if you're not going to pay attention in school then you might as well not come at all."

Mr. Izumi continued hitting his student in the head with his ruler for about another minute, berating him for his lack of focus. While this was going on, all the other students started laughing at Sasuke as this was a scene that they've seen plenty of times. As for Sasuke himself, he simply let out a small sigh as he didn't like the fact that he was being berated and laughed at by others again.

Eventually, the bell started to ring, signaling that class was now over. As all the students grabbed their things and prepared to make their way to their next class, Izumi grabbed his textbooks and placed them back onto his desk. He then went to grab some papers before proceeding to stand by the classroom's exit.

"Alright people," He said to all of his students. "I'm handing back the results of last week's test. With Midterms coming up I'm expecting most of you to study hard…because I know for a fact that one of you won't."

Sasuke let out another soft sigh as he knew that student Izumi was referring to was him. He then quickly grabbed all of his things and began making his way out of the classroom. Before he did however, Sasuke picked up his test paper and saw, much to his displeasure, that he got only a 30% on it. However, instead of getting to upset about it, Sasuke simply shrugged it off and promptly balled up the test before throwing it in the trash. When Mr. Izumi saw that, all he could do was shake his head in complete and utter disappointment.

While walking towards his locker, Sasuke heard a loud growl coming from his stomach, indicating that he was very hungry. Despite the fact that he ate 5 bowls of cereal before heading out for school, he quickly burned it off and was now wondering what he should do. Lunch was still about an hour away and he still had one more class to go to. Just thinking about that caused Sasuke to scratch his head in frustration as going by someone else's schedule was another reason why he didn't like school.

As he continued to lament over his current problem, Sasuke forgot to pay attention to where he was going and ended up bumping into someone. By the time he figured out what happened, he saw that the one he rammed into was none other than Shinji Muto, Orange Star High's local bully. Just seeing his face annoyed Sasuke greatly as he no time to deal with any of his crap. He attempted to leave, but stopped when Shinji firmly grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey punk…" The bully said to him in a fierce tone. "Aren't you going to say you're sorry?"

"…My bad," Sasuke turned his head and faced Shinji, the ways his eyes were positioned indicated that he didn't really want to be here. "I'm sorry…Can you let me go now?"

Shinji snapped upon hearing Sasuke's nonchalant attitude and proceeded to grab him by his collar and slam him into one of the nearby lockers. As all the other students stopped what they were doing and looked on, Shinji tried his best to intimidate Sasuke, but wasn't able to get any reaction from him. To him, it was like Sasuke didn't him perceive him to be a threat, which annoyed Shinji greatly. He was about to punch him, but his fist was stopped when someone suddenly grabbed it.

When Sasuke turned his head, a smile appeared on his face as he recognized the one who just blocked Shinji's attack. It was Kiba Haruno and he's been Sasuke's best friend ever since they were little kids. This 15-year-old young man with short light blonde hair and grey eyes was not only one of Orange Star's most popular students, especially when it came to the ladies, but also someone who doesn't tolerate it when people mess with his friends, especially Sasuke. As a result, Kiba firmly grabbed Shinji's wrist, preventing the bully from getting away.

"You better let go on me, Haruno!" Shinji told Kiba.

"Or what…you'll go after me next?" Kiba replied, almost daring Shinji to do it. "Bring it on then…but I'll warn you right now that I won't hold back."

The boys stared one another down for about a minute, waiting for the other to flinch. However, as time passed, Shinji quickly got bored and decided to end it. But, instead of gently placing Sasuke back on the ground, he went on to throw him into a trash can. He then started walking away as he and some of the other students laughing at Sasuke. Kiba wanted to go after them, but decided to go on and help his friend instead.

"Hey Sasuke…are you okay?" Kiba asked as he helped his friend out of the trash can.

"I'm okay," Sasuke replied with a smile. He then went on to wipe some of the excess trash that was on him. "Besides…someone like him can't hurt me, no matter he does."

After making sure that no more trash was on him, Sasuke started walking away with Kiba following right behind. As he did, Kiba looked towards the locker that his friend was up against and noticed that there was a huge hole in it. While one would assume that Shinji created it when he slammed Sasuke into it, Kiba knew better as it was probably Sasuke who did it. He mostly likely punched through the locker in order to release his frustration on being bullied by someone weaker than him.

When Kiba turned his attention back towards Sasuke and saw the kind and cheerful smile that was now on his face, he found it hard to believe that someone like him could produce such strength. However, he knew that Sasuke wasn't just an ordinary young man, but an exceptionally gifted one. Even so, there was something on his mind that Kiba couldn't just seem to figure out.

"Hey Sasuke…" He called out too. "Why won't your parents let you fight? I mean, I know for a fact that you can't take care of yourself. It just doesn't seem right that someone as strong as you should be forced to deal with people like Shinji and not be able to defend yourself."

"…I wish I knew the answer to that," Sasuke replied under his breath.

Being his best and pretty much only friend, Sasuke knew that Kiba Haruno was a very good person, one who wouldn't make fun of him for what he could do or who he was. It's because of this that he's one of the few people, other than his parents, that not only know how strong he is, but has even seen his tail too. Still, even though the two of them are really close there were still some things that Sasuke couldn't tell Kiba…because he didn't really have the answer himself.

Sasuke didn't know all the details about it, but ever since he was a little boy his parents have instructed him to never display his incredible strength in front of others nor reveal that he has a tail. At first, the young man thought that they were simply protecting him from what other people may think of him. However, Sasuke didn't want to believe that was the case as he's not the type of person to care about other people's opinion of him. It had to be something else, but what that something is was something Sasuke had no clue about.

"Parents are just so selfish sometimes," He said as he put his hands behind his head. "I mean…I don't want to let them down or anything, especially since gave me a home after my real parents abandoned me as a baby. But still…they seem like they're holding me back for some reason."

"Holding you back…?" Kiba questioned.

"Yeah…and that's strange since my dad trains me every day in order to become a better fighter," Sasuke placed his arms back down. "I hope everything is alright."

Kiba watched as the cheerful expression that was usually on his friend's face was slowly transitioning to one of concern. Upon seeing it, the young man let of a small sigh as he didn't mean to change the mood just because he was curious about something. As a result, Kiba decided to drop the subject and give his friend and friendly slap on the back.

"Well…don't worry about it," He said to him. "Whatever their plan is, I'm sure they're doing for good reasons."

"Yea…Yeah," Sasuke nodded his head, his face slowly turning back into a cheerful one. "You're right."

The two friends went on to punch each other with light and friendly jabs for a short moment before coming towards an intersection in the hallway. Upon reaching it, Sasuke continued on straight ahead while Kiba prepared to go the other way. The two of them then proceeded to say good-bye to each other before going down their respective paths. Once that was done, Sasuke continued making his way towards his locker.

By the time he finally reached it, Sasuke quickly opened it up, grabbed the textbooks that he would need for his next class, and began making his towards another section of the school. As he walked, he noticed that almost all the students have left for the classes, making him the only student currently in the hallway. When he saw this, Sasuke become really worried and quickly began dashing across the hall, unconsciously using his incredible strength to boost his speed. However, as he run, Sasuke started hearing a loud banging noise in the distance and suddenly stopped.

"What the…?" He said to himself. "What was that?"

Sasuke looked around the hallway, but couldn't find anything that could be the source of the noise. However, after hearing it again, he realized that it came from another section of the school. Forgetting that he was running late, Sasuke took the time to see what was going on. When he did so, the young man was shocked by what he saw.

In an off corner in the hallway, a beautiful young woman of about 16 years of age was busy trying to open her locking, banging on it with her fist when it wouldn't open for her. She had long black hair that ran down towards the ends of her back and violet colored eyes. The woman also had quite an attractive figure and her breasts size was quite large for someone her age. Even so, despite how cute she was, Sasuke wasn't really attractive to her, due to him not being interested in romance. Instead she was more interested in who she was than what she looked liked.

Although he had a tendency to slack off in school and to not pay attention to what was going on around him, Sasuke was pretty perceptive to those within the school. This included the girl he was looking at as she was Orange Star High's most popular student; Akeno Nakajima. Besides being the most attractive student at the school, Akeno was also very smart, getting A's in all the classes she takes. She was also quite athletic as well, being able to keep up with Sasuke, even when he holds himself back considerably. Still, despite all of these feats, Akeno's most prominent quality is her kindness. She doesn't let her popularity inflate her ego or make her believe that she's better than others, which is something Sasuke liked a lot.

So, as he continued to watch her struggle opening her locker, Sasuke decided to give her a hand. Making sure that he wasn't seen, Sasuke placed his hand out in front of him and began building up his Ki. Although he still had a lot trouble in properly manipulating it, he believed that it wouldn't take too much effort to open a locker from a good distance away. As a result, Sasuke released the Ki towards Akeno's locker, hoping to open it. Unfortunately, as he looked on, Sasuke realized that his actions had an unwelcoming side effect.

While Sasuke's move did indeed open Akeno's locker, he also ended up opening all the other lockers that were in the immediate area too, shocking the young woman greatly. When he saw this, Sasuke cringed before immediately slapping his face in frustration.

"Damn it…" He said to himself. "I used too much power."

"Huh..? Who said that?"

Sasuke's eyes widen after he heard Akeno's voice, calling out to the person that she just heard talking. He tried his best to hide behind the lockers, but when he turned back for a moment, the young man accidentally allowed Akeno to see his face. As a result, he tried his best to leave the area and get to class before she could do anything. However, Akeno was very swift and was able to catch up with him.

"Hey wait…" She said. "Don't leave yet!"

Instead of doing the smart thing and kept on moving, Sasuke stopped when Akeno told him not to leave. He then let out a loud sigh as he began scratching his head in frustration. Not only did he reveal his abilities here at school, something his mom and dad told him not to do, but someone actually caught him doing it. Realizing that there is no way he can talk himself out of this mess, the young man slowly turned himself around and face Akeno, who still had a look of surprise on her face.

"Did…did you do that just now?" She asked him.

"Uh…yeah," Sasuke slowly answered. "Yeah, it was me."

Sasuke started scratching his head again as he wondered what Akeno was going to do now. Chances are she'll post what she saw on the internet and once that gets out, almost everyone in the world will probably know about it by tomorrow morning. Although Sasuke never cared what other people thought about him, he doesn't want to inconvenience his adoptive parents in anyway, especially since they're so good to him. As he continued to lament over his situation, Akeno stared at Sasuke for a moment before letting out a small smile.

"You used your Ki…didn't you?"

When Akeno said the word Ki, Sasuke's eyes suddenly lit up and jaw dropped slightly. He then looked towards the young woman, confused that she knew about Ki and what it could do. Wanting to know how she knew these things, Sasuke responded to Akeno's question with one of his own.

"How…how do you know about Ki?"

"…I may not look it, but I study martial arts in my spare time," Akeno answered honestly. "Although it has been a while since I last practiced with it…know Ki whenever I see it. Still…I'm pretty amazed that your Ki is as strong as it is, even though you still need tons of training on controlling it better."

Akeno's small smile grew a little bit bigger as Sasuke continued to look at her with shock in his eyes. He then slowly calmed himself down as he turned his attention towards his right hand. Like she just said, while his Ki may be powerful, he still needs a lot of practice on controlling it. After all, his intention was to only open Akeno's locker, not every locker that was in the immediate area. He then started clinching his fist for a moment before relaxing it.

"I guess…" He replied. "But it isn't easy. Heck…I can't even pull off an energy attack without tiring myself."

"That will come with time," Akeno assured him. "All you need is the proper motivation…and a lot of spirit. Once you have those two things, then I'm sure you can pull it off."

Sasuke looked back up at Akeno and saw the reassuring smile that was on her face. Just seeing it made him feel better and soon let out a smile of his own. She was right about what she said, especially since it was similar to what his dad said to him earlier this morning. He then nodded his head and soon placed both of his arms behind his head, letting out an even bigger smile.

"Yeah…you're right. Thanks a lot."

Akeno nodded her head towards Sasuke and let out a small giggle after seeing just how innocent and goofy his smile was becoming. As the two of them continued to stand around, the late bell suddenly started ringing all throughout the hallway. Upon hearing it, both students suddenly jumped up and realized that if they were caught in the halls, they would get in a lot of troubles by the teachers. As a result, they both said their good-byes and began running in opposite directions. However, after realizing something, Akeno suddenly stopped turned back towards Sasuke.

"Hey…what's your name?!" She asked.

"Huh…?" Sasuke stopped and turned back towards Akeno. "Sasuke…I'm Sasuke Takahashi."

"Well…My name is Akeno Nakajima. Listen, do you know about that party that's taking place here at the school this evening? I'm going to be there…you should come too. Perhaps we can finish our conversation then?"

Sasuke took a moment to think about what Akeno had just suggested to him. The school has been promoting the party that she talked about for the last couple of weeks. At first, Sasuke had no intention of going since he's not the type of person who's interested in things like parties or any type of social events. All he was going to do today was head back home and continue on with his training. He wanted to get stronger so that he can learn to control his Ki more efficiently. However hearing Akeno's offer and learning that she practices martial arts, Sasuke was unsure about what to do.

"Well…I can't make any promises," He said to her. "But…I'll try to be there."

"Cool…" Akeno smiled at Sasuke again before rushing off towards her next class. "See you tonight, Sasuke."

* * *

After several hours of boring and useless classes, Sasuke quickly jumped out of his seat once he heard the final bell ring. He then immediately rushed out of the school, not wanting to spend another precious moment inside of that complex. For him, Orange Star High was more like a prison then it was a school so just going outside and breathing some of that fresh air was just as enjoyable as eating some of his favorite foods.

Once he was outside, Sasuke started making his way from his school's campus and towards the main city's street. As he did so, he encountered Kiba again, who was also beginning to make his way home. Once they were together, the two friends started talking about what they went through during school today. It was during this time that Sasuke told his friend about his encounter with Akeno and the conversation that they had in the hallway.

"Wait a minute…" Kiba said in a hint of confusion. "So Akeno Nakajima, the most popular girl in our school, knows about Ki? And she practices martial arts?"

"That's what she said," Sasuke answered as he walked across the street. "I didn't know what to make of it at first, but after hearing what she had to say…I get the impression that she wasn't lying."

"And you're sure about this? You've one told me that once that although everyone in the world has Ki…only less than 5% can utilize it."

Sasuke nodded his head after listening to Kiba's statement. When he first learning how to use his Ki, his father told him that its practices has died out over the centuries. As a result, most of the population on the planet doesn't even know what Ki is with only the small fraction that do being able to use it. Given Akeno's words and the way she explained things to him, Sasuke strongly believed that she fell into the minority. He wasn't completely sure that was the case, but had a strong feeling that it was.

"In any case, the only way I can know more is to ask her," He continued.

"So does that mean you're coming to the party?" Kiba asked him. "Most of the time you'd rather be dead than go to one of those things."

"You're right about that," Sasuke sighs to himself. "I don't really want to go…but to know more, I have too."

Kiba looked towards Sasuke and saw the conflicted look that was on his face. Going to something like a party was something that his friend was very unfamiliar with. Because of the way he acts, many people consider him to be a social outcast who prefers to stick to himself. While he wants to make friends with people, his overall personality makes it hard for them to see the side of Sasuke that only Kiba knows about. Because of that, Kiba thought that perhaps going to the party was a good thing for his friend, in order to help him out.

However, as he continued to think about it, Kiba started to wonder if there was something more to this. Akeno told Sasuke that she knew about Ki and that she practices martial arts. However, from what he knows about the matter, those who practice normal martial arts don't even know about Ki. Even though highly advanced masters who work as stunt men or compete in local tournaments are unaware, due to it being a secret art. The only reason Kiba knows is because Sasuke told him about it and so the fact that Akeno knows too rubs him the wrong way.

"Alright man," Kiba gently petted the back of Sasuke's shoulder. "But be careful around that Akeno girl. She may know about Ki, but that knowledge could be a trap for you. Either way…I'll make sure to have your back."

"Thanks Kiba…"

With that said, the two friends said their goodbyes to one another before going their separate ways. Now that he was all alone, Sasuke looked around the immediate area in order to see if anyone was around. As soon as he saw that no one was indeed around, a small smile appeared on his face as he positioned himself in a running stance. He then dashed forwards, a small gust of wind being created from the force in which he ran.

Unlike normal people, who usually get around the city by either driving cars or riding the bus, Sasuke generally got around by running. Not only did find conventional transportation to be quite slow and unreliable, but he felt that using ones legs was a great way to get in some exercise. This is how he was able to get to and from school each morning from his home in the countryside. All he really needed to do was make sure that no one saw him moving at the superhuman speeds in which he was running, which was easy since no one could keep up with him.

As Sasuke continued to run however, the young man suddenly heard some banging noises coming from the distance. Curious by what was going on, he stopped by a nearby ally and positioned himself so that he could watch the scene from afar. When he did, Sasuke looked on as a group of criminals were busy robbing a nearby bank. Some of the robbers had guns in their hands, shooting up the place while the other robbers were busy exiting the bank with bags full of money in their hands.

Just seeing this scene was making Sasuke violently ill. Because of the way his parents raised him, Sasuke never liked people who would bully others just to obtain trivial needs and this was especially true for criminals. All he wanted to do right now was to go over there and give every one of those jerks a piece of their own medicine. Unfortunately, because of the promise he'd made to his parents, Sasuke wasn't allowed to fight. Even so, Sasuke had a way around that problem.

Looking around the ally his was in, Sasuke picked up a random scarf that he found lying on the ground. He then tied it around his face, using it as a makeshift in order to hide his identity. Once he did that, Sasuke dashed towards the scene, jumping into the air and kicking one of the robbers to the side just before he could fire his assault rifle at a random civilian. He then went to knock out another robber that was next to him with one powerful jab to the head. By the time this happened, another robber appeared from within the getaway car, carrying a machine gun.

"You bastard!" He yelled as he took aim at Sasuke. "You're going to pay for that!"

Sasuke turned his head and saw the criminal getting ready to for his weapon at him. However, instead of panicking, the young man was able to keep his cool and maintain a defensive stance, his left hand placed out in front of him. When the robber saw this he immediately loss his cool and began firing his weapon continuously at the young man. Unfortunately, nothing happened to him.

Unconsciously gathering up Ki within his arm, Sasuke quickly grabbed all of the bullets that were being fired at him in rapid succession. No matter how fast they were being fired at him, he was able to catch bullet as easily as catching a falling piece of paper. Once the robber finally ran out of ammo, he was utterly shocked to not only see this mysterious warrior survive his attack, but also drop the bullets right in front of him. Sasuke then went on to slam his foot right into the robber's face, breaking his face and knocking him out.

When all the other robbers saw this terrifying display of strength, all of them realized that there was no way that they could defeat someone like this mysterious warrior. As a result, all of them grabbed all the money that they could and immediately got inside of the getaway car. The driver then pressed his foot firmly on the gas pedal, trying to escape before they were targeted next. However, Sasuke already had them in his sights and were not about to let them escape.

As the criminals continued to drive away, Sasuke placed the palm of his right hand right in front of him and directed towards the getaway car. He then started gathering up his Ki, intending to use to knock the vehicle down. Unlike what happened at the school earlier today, Sasuke was able to get his Ki to work like he wanted it do as he watched the car suddenly flip up and land directly on its top. With that, all the criminals were defeated and no one got hurt.

Although not one to let his pride to get the better of him, Sasuke was quite satisfied that he was able to put his skills to good use and defeat those criminals. However, he couldn't stay around to gloat as more people were starting to gather around. Not only that, but he also started to hear sirens coming from the distance. The police were coming and although he knew that he could possibly handle them, Sasuke didn't want to have to deal with them right now. With that, he quickly left the area using his incredible speed.

By the time he finally escaped the area, Sasuke took off the scarf that he was wearing and immediately placed it into a nearby trash can. He then grabbed his backpack before looking back and watching the cops arrest all of the robbers. Although the criminals tried to explain to the cops about what happened, the officers didn't believe them for a second and simply placed the handcuffs on them. Just seeing that put a small smile on Sasuke's face and the satisfied warrior quickly dashed through the city, happy that he was able to put his skills to good use.

However, as Sasuke ran through the city streets again, there was one individual who saw him do so. This is individual was none other than Akeno Nakajima, who not only saw how fast Sasuke was moving, but also witnessed the impressive display of power he demonstrated during his confrontation with the robbers. Normally, something like that would frighten an ordinary person. However, Akeno wasn't scared at all and she even started to smile as she watched Sasuke leave the city limits.

"Sasuke Takahashi…" She said in a soft tone of voice. "You're even more amazing than I thought you were."

Meanwhile, in a dark and brooding castle that was located on the other side of the world, a large number of warriors were seen standing around by the main gate. Soon, at one the castle's main balconies, Zuko suddenly appeared from within the complex. However, the warrior was strikingly different than he was just a few hours ago. The main difference was his face, which had a giant scar placed over his right eye. From what the warriors could tell, the scar that was on Zuko's face was created by some type of burn. Some of them wanted to comment about it, but chose not too in hear of their own lives.

Eventually, once he determined that all of his men were here, Zuko looked back towards the castle and signaled for someone to come outside. When saw this individual beginning to walk towards him, Zuko let out a small smile before turning his attention back towards his men.

"Men..!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "Earlier today, I told you that our victory would bring us one step closer to our goal of world domination! Now…allow me to present the one who will lead us to our eventual takeover of the planet! Everyone…all hail, King Piccolo!"

"ALL HAIL, KING PICCOLO!"

In unison, Zuko and all of his men kneeled down as they watched the mysterious individual finally reach the balcony. He had an otherworldly appearance with green skin, sharp pointy ears, strange yellow patches on his arm, and unique antenna on the top of his head. He was also rather old, his body completely wrinkled from head to toe. The clothes that he was wearing mostly consisted of robes, in the front had the Japanese kanji for demon written on it. This was person was Piccolo, the King of the Demon and the one who's power and influence will shape the destiny of the entire world.

"Finally…" The demon king said with a small smile on his face. "My revenge begins now!"

* * *

 _ **Chapter Preview**_

 _As Sasuke returns home to continue his training, and to finally decided whether or not he wants to go to his school's party, his parents decide to give him something. What is it and why is it so important? Also, just what is revenge that the evil King Piccolo is talking about and what does he intend to do with Zuko and his army?_

 _Next Time, Chapter 2: The Secret of the Dragon Balls_

* * *

 _ **Announcements**_

 **Spirit Reader:** _Hey guys, I hope you liked the first chapter of my brand new story; Dragon Ball Heroes. If you couldn't tell already, it's an AU story that focuses on a new set of heroes as they deal with familiar villains from the Dragon Ball Universe. While that may not be very popular amongst hard core fans, it's something that I always wanted to do. I'll try my best to be respectful to the legacy that this series has continued to represent for the last couple of decades. If you like the story, please follow either me or it in order to receive updates. Also, if you would be so kind, please leave a review in order to share your thoughts with me._

 _Well, that's it for now. Until next time, this is Spirit Reader signing off!_


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